Sharecare, the health and wellness engagement platform founded by WebMD founder Jeff Arnold and television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz, is working with the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), a company that manages 164 hospitals and 114 freestanding surgery centers in 20 states and England. The two companies will work together to create new patient engagement offerings.
HCA also made an undisclosed investment in Sharecare last year, and the companies are creating a joint innovation lab together. Finally, A. Bruce Moore, Jr., HCA’s President of Service Line and Operations Integration, joined Sharecare’s board of directors
“Few hospital systems can match HCA’s commitment to excellence in care delivery, and we are excited about working together to develop innovative technologies to help their physicians and patients stay connected from the exam room to the living room,” Jeff Arnold, Chairman and CEO of Sharecare, said in a statement. “All aspects of our partnership with HCA will greatly advance our complementary visions to empower every individual with access to care that is comprehensive, personalized and preventive at anytime, anywhere.”
Sharecare and HCA have worked together before -- HCA was the exclusive advertiser for Sharecare's mobile health app AskMD, and HCA formed the base of the app's hospital database when the app launched in 2013. HCA also piloted Sharecare's patient acquisition functionality, which will be getting a full rollout in 2015, and Sharecare created a workplace wellness app for an HCA pilot.
"We recognize the importance of meaningful digital relationships with our patients,” Sam Hazen, HCA’s President of Operations, said in statement. “Sharecare is a leading innovator with a proven record of quickly building and commercializing digital and mobile solutions that help people manage their health. We see HCA’s collaboration with Sharecare as another strong asset in our quest to promote quality healthcare services and a more satisfying experience for our patients.”
Sharecare began working last October with CHE Trinity Health, one of the largest not-for-profit healthcare systems in the US. That partnership was linked to Sharecare's health risk assessment the RealAge Test, individualized wellness programs, fitness device data aggregation, facility locators, appointment schedulers, and secure messaging with physicians.
Both HCA and Sharecare made acquisitions in 2014, with HCA buying PatientKeeper, one of the oldest mobile health software companies still in operation, and Sharecare buying QualityHealth, a patient identification and engagement platform that works with health systems and pharmaceutical companies. HCA has also sponsored a Healthbox class in the past.
